Korean tech news site IT Tong has released details and images of an unannounced Galaxy S II model codenamed “Celox.” Unlike the current Galaxy S II devices, the Celox packs support for 800/1800/2600MHz 4G LTE networks. That means the handset could make its debut in European markets and, hopefully, in the United States with different bands at a later date. The Galaxy S II Celox reportedly offers a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 16GB of internal storage, an 8-megapixel camera and a 2-megapixel camera for forward-facing video chats. It’s unclear when or where the Celox will make its debut at this time, but we’re definitely excited at the possibility of a 4G LTE-enabled Galaxy S II. More →

While Research In Motion just recently announced its new BlackBerry 7 device lineup — including the fantastic BlackBerry Bold 9900 — we all know that the real-deal smartphones are still in the oven. What everyone is waiting on from RIM is the company’s QNX-based devices, which we hope will make RIM competitive in the smartphone industry once again. BGR has learned exclusive details surrounding the first QNX smartphone RIM intends to release, which is codenamed the BlackBerry Colt, and it looks like there are already going to be some compromises the company will have to make in order to launch the smartphone on schedule. Hit the break for all the details we have so far. More →

Apple has quietly launched a new entry-level iMac that targets education. The new model features a 21.5-inch display like the current base iMac, but the specs are dialed down in order to push pricing to a slightly more attainable starting point. Highlights include a 3.1GHz Intel Core i3 dual-core processor, 2GB of DDR3 RAM, a 250GB hard drive and an AMD Radeon HD 6750 GPU. Pricing starts at $999, 11% higher than the last iMac aimed at the education market, and the new model is available immediately to education customers on Apple’s website.

Amazon’s manufacturing partner is expected to ship as many as 3 million tablets for the online retail giant this quarter, Taiwan Economic News reports. BGR exclusively reported this past May that Amazon is currently prepping two tablets for launch, a low-end dual-core “Coyote” and a high-end quad-core “Hollywood.” The former is expected to hit the market first and Amazon is preparing to make quite a splash, as it reportedly has ordered between 800,000 and 1 million units each month this quarter from manufacturing partner Quanta Computer. The new order estimates are up from the 700,000 – 800,000 units reported in May by DigiTimes. Foxconn is said to have landed the contract to manufacture Amazon’s high-end 10.1-inch “Hollywood” tablet, which is expected to start shipping next year. More →

In an age where mobile device components seem to grow by leaps and bounds every few months, it’s pretty remarkable that a pioneer in the space still manages to find itself among the top chipmakers in the world. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chip was the first 1GHz mobile device processor to hit the market when the LG eXpo launched in December 2009, and it kicked off a gigahertz craze that has gained steam ever since. Today, Qualcomm is still a leader in the space and the company on Wednesday revealed the rebranding of its Snapdragon chipsets. Snapdragon chips now fall into one of four series: Snapdragon System 1 (65nm, up to 1.2GHz CPU, Adreno 200 GPU, up to 3G HSPA), Snapdragon System 2 (45nm, up to 1.4GHz CPU, Adreno 205 GPU, HSPA+, 1024 x 768 display, 720p recording, Dolby 5.1, stereoscopic 3D), Snapdragon System 3 (45nm, up to 1.5GHz dual-core CPU, Adreno 220 GPU, HSPA+, 1440 x 900 display, 1080p recording, Dolby 5.1, stereoscopic 3D) and Snapdragon System 4 (28nm, up to 2.5GHz quad-core CPU, up to quad-core Adreno GPU, HSPA+, LTE). System 4 Snapdragon chipsets won’t hit the market until next year, but Systems 1 through 3 can currently be found in 125 commercially available devices. So what might be an appropriate way for Qualcomm to celebrate the new rebranding? Team up with BGR to give away nine different smartphones and tablets, of course! Read on for all the details. More →

Apple’s next-generation iPhone could be a “bigger update than expected,” according to Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu. In a note to investors on Tuesday, Wu wrote that the iPhone 5 will not be the modest update some publications have suggested, but will instead be a thinner, lighter, more powerful iPhone. Despite the claim however, everything mentioned the analyst’s note is “expected” at this point if you consider the laundry list of iPhone 5 rumors that have been reported over the past few months. Citing anonymous sources within Apple’s parts suppliers, Wu specifically says that the iPhone 5 will feature a larger display and a design that is similar to the iPhone 4 but thinner. Of course reports that Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone would feature a larger display date back to February, and we’re pretty sure we’ve seen that thinner design somewhere before. Wu also reaffirmed that the iPhone 5 will feature Apple’s dual-core A5 processor, and he agreed with earlier reports stating that Apple’s next smartphone will not include support for 4G LTE service as coverage is not yet widespread and the cost to the iPhone’s battery life would be too great.

The Motorola PHOTON 4G is the company’s first 4G handset on Sprint, and even more, it is the first high-end Motorola device set to launch on Sprint’s network in a very long time. It’s packed to the brim on paper — specifically, with features such as a 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 4.3-inch qHD display, an 8-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash and a VGA front-facing camera, 16GB of built-in storage, plus global-roaming and 4G WiMAX connectivity. In short, it’s probably the most feature-packed phone to ever launch from Sprint. I have been using the Motorola PHOTON 4G for a few days now and the question I really wanted to answer was: is this Sprint’s best smartphone? Hit the break to find out.

We’re expecting Samsung to begin launching its flagship Galaxy S II handset in the United States any week now, and on Thursday a render of a white version of the device popped up online. Until recently, Samsung only offered a black hued model of the phone in Europe, but a number of retailers are beginning to stock the new white model pictured above. The Galaxy S II packs a dual-core processor, Samsung’s stunning Super AMOLED Plus screen, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, the latest TouchWiz user interface and more. So far it has been Samsung’s fastest selling smartphone and 5 million units have already been shipped. Hopefully one of the U.S. carriers have this hue scheduled for launch because we’re definitely fawning over the milky color scheme. More →

Yesterday we brought you exclusive images of AT&T’s Samsung Galaxy S II slider and today we’re getting some info surrounding Sprint’s version of the phone. The Samsung SPH-D710 Galaxy S II recently passed through the FCC complete with a 4G WiMAX radio, which suggests that we could be hearing an announcement from Sprint in the coming weeks. Earlier leaks suggested that the carrier will call it the “Galaxy Within,” although that name still is not confirmed. We’re expecting the phone to pack the same internals as the European Galaxy S II, which means it should be equipped with a dual-core processor, plenty of on board memory, a brand new TouchWiz user interface, and of course Samsung’s stunning Super AMOLED Plus display. More →

Motorola has been on a roll. With the introduction of the original DROID handset, a phone that we exclusively showed the world, Motorola has been set on a path of success with Android. The first Motorola DROID was innovative and brought forth a brand new version of Android, Android 2.0. The device featured a high resolution display with full QWERTY slide-out keyboard, and ran on Verizon Wireless’ solid voice and data network. Motorola and Verizon followed it up with an evolutionary upgrade in the DROID 2, but the Motorola DROID 3 is supposed to be the next big step in both hardware and software. I have been using a Motorola DROID 3 for over a week now, and my full review is after the break.

Verizon Wireless announced on Tuesday that it will offer Samsung’s 4G LTE Galaxy Tab 10.1 beginning Thursday, July 28th. There will be 16GB and 32GB models available for $529 and $629, respectively. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 runs Android 3.1 (Honeycomb) and is equipped with a dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800-pixel resolution display, a 3-megapixel camera capable of recording HD video, and a 2-megapixel forward-facing camera for video chats. Customers can choose from three different monthly data plans from Verizon Wireless, including a $30 2GB option, a $50 5GB option, and an $80 10GB option. In our recent review of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 we called it the “thinnest, sexiest tablet available today.” Read on for the full press release. More →

AT&T has confirmed with BGR that it will launch the LG Thrill 4G “in the coming weeks” for $99.99. The Thrill 4G will be the second smartphone with a 3D display to land in the United States, and it features a 1GHz dual-core processor, 8GB of storage, the ability to record 1080p video in 2D or 720p video in 3D, a forward-facing camera for video chat and 512MB of RAM. AT&T has also included several pre-loaded 3D games including Asphalt 6, Let’s Golf 2, and Nova. We’ve been testing the Thrill 4G for the past few days and will be bringing you our full review shortly.

LG has struggled to grab consumer interest the way Samsung has with its Galaxy S and Galaxy S II smartphones, and it doesn’t look like the manufacturer has a worthy competitor in the pipeline just yet. PocketNow purportedly leaked LG’s entire 2011 portfolio and while there are several attractive devices that run Android and Windows Phone, there is nothing that really blows us away. The lineup includes the following devices:

LG Prada K2 - An Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) smartphone with a 4.3-inch NOVA display, 16GB of storage, and support for 21Mbps+ networks.

LG Univa – An Android 2.3 device that is equipped with an 800MHz processor and a 3.5-inch HVGA display.

LG Fantasy - A Windows Phone Mango-powered device that could make its debut in the fourth quarter of this year. Renders of the phone suggest that it will offer a large display, but other hardware specs are currently not available.

LG Gelato - A device that may land on Sprint with the model number LS685, a version of the Gelato will reportedly offers support for near-field communications (NFC). It’s equipped with a 3.2-inch HVGA display, a 3-megapixel camera and an 800MHz processor.

PocketNow also revealed two more devices, the LG K and the E2, but little is currently known about them. We’re assuming that LG also has some more high-end handsets up its sleeves that it’s currently keeping closer to the vest — after all, the LG Thrill 4G (Optimus 3D), offers a high-end dual-core processor. Why would the manufacturer take a step backwards and just release a half-dozen mid-range handsets?